There are, at present, several devices implantable within a human body for aiding or supporting a bodily function. For instance, it is well known in the art that cardiac pacemakers have been implanted within the human body and serve as an electric heart pulser. Such devices require a source of energy which must also be implanted within the human body. In the past, chemical batteries have been employed for this purpose. These sources of electrical power have limited lifetimes and may last, on the average, for only 1 or 2 years after which a surgical procedure is necessary to replace the device.
Obviously, a person, in whom such a device has been implanted, who is not amenable to withstanding the shocks or stresses that one is subjected to during such surgical procedures, is benefited by any means which can serve to prolong the life of the electrical power supply.
Although it has been suggested that the electrical power supply should be a nuclear energy source and experimental work has been performed in this area, to date, no one has been able to develop a fully reliable and long-lasting nuclear electric power supply to power implantable devices.